Process of preserving remains.



R. G. SCHNEE & P. W. RILEY. PROCESS OF PRESERVING REMAINS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8,1913.

1 1 20,336. Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT G. SCHNEE AND FRED W. RILEY, F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE.REPUBLIC MAUSOLEUM COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF-OHIO.

PROCESS OF PRESERVING REMAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented D ec. 8, 191

Original application filed March 20, 1913,'seriaino.7s5,11s. niw'dea'ane this application filed September 1 8,1913. Serial No. 788,548.

To all whom; it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT- G. Sonnet: andFRED W. RrnEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland,imthe county I maintain of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented acertain new'and useful Improvement inProcesses of Preserving Remains, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings. a

This invention relates to methods or processes of preserving remains,this application being I 755,718, filed March 20, 1913.

It is the general purpose of this invention to provide a process forpreserving the remains ithin a crypt or compartment by ing within suchcryptor compartment a'dry, germicidal atmosphere, whereby the remainswill be desiccated, through their contact with such atmosphere, and theformation and discharge of liquidsofdecompositionlwill be prevented.

Referring to the drawings forming part hereof, Figure 1 represents avertical sectional View through a mausoleum ofthe 'g'en eral characterdisclosed in out application aforesaid; Fig. 2 .a perspective view ofone of the disinfecting cartridges placed within eachcrypt orcompartment of the .mausoleum; and Fig. 3 a'similar view of one of thecartridges or containers for the moistureabsorbing material. I

In carrying out our invention, we place within the crypt or compartmentcontaining the remains a sufficient number of t e moisture-absorbingreceptacles to secure he absorption of allmoistnre given ofi from theremains into the atmosphere and to maintain such atmosphere dry withinthe crypt or compartment. We also place within each cryptor compartmenta sufficient number of disinfecting'cartridges or containers to saturatethe atmosphere with a germicidal gas over a long period oftimesuflicient to cover the complete desiccation of the re mains by theaction of the moisture absorba division of application No.

is in rapid progress at the time of interment, with the production oflarge quantities of gas suflicient to produce pressure within the cryptor compartment, means are provided for venting each I crypt orcompartment Without, however, enablingthe external atmosphere to haveaccess thereto and without the discharge of the escaping gases into anyother crypt or compartment.

For the germicidal agent, formaldehyde.

is preferred, and this is preferably introduced into the cryptorcompartment-in. the shape of a cartridge consisting of an absorbent,such as asbestos, whichis saturated with a solution of formaldehyde gas.By saturating the absorbent with the solution, the

spilling of the same is prevented, and by inclosing the saturatedabsorbent within a sheet metal container, thefgas .is not given off intothe atmosphere until such time as its use is desired. When this timearrives, the top of the casing may be perforated by any suitable tool,the perforations allowing of the gradual escape of the gas, over alongperiod of time, into the atmosphere to be saturated. A sufficient numberof these cartridges will be inserted into the crypt or compartment tomaintain the atmosphere therein in a germicidal condition as long as maybe necessary.

In the drawings, to which reference has been made hereinbefore, 1denotes. the floor and2 theroof of a mausoleum. This roof will beprovided with a suitable number of cross-draft fiues, one of which isindicated at 3, these being connected with the frost space 4 usual inbuildings of granite and cement construction.

In the drawings, a single double tier of crypts is shown; but it will beevident that any suitable number of tiers may be pro-, vided, accordingto the dimensions of the mausoleum. Each crypt 5, as will be apparentfrom thedrawings, is independent of every other crypt, and is providedwith a trapped vent 6 which is adapted to permit of the escape of anygases from within the crypt while preventing gases entering the samefrom without. A trapped vent of the character'shownin our application755,718 may be employed forthis purpose.

The casket 7 is shown as resting upon cross rods 8 supported by ledges 9projecting upwardly from the bottom 10 of the crypt. The space beneaththese rods provides a convenient location for the car tridges 11 whichcontain'the moisture absorbent. These cartridges, when read for use, maybe opened by stripping bac the cover 11 by means of a key, ina,wellknown manner. The cartridges 12 containing the germicidal agentmaybe supported in any other convenient place, within the crypt, as on thecross rods 8, the sheet metal tops of the receptacles being perforatedin the manner shown in Fig. 2, to permit the gradual escape of the gas.The remains may be exposed to the atmosphere within the crypt in anyconvenient manner, as by removing the lid of the casket, as indicated inthe drawings. 7 A single disinfecting cartridge, if made in about theproportions indicated' in .the drawings, will be amply sufficienttofurnish all the disinfecting gas necessary to maintain a germicidalatmos' phere within the crypt throughout the entire period required forthe desiccation of the remains. Should any gasesof decomposi tion beevolved, such gases will be neutralized by the germicidal gas; underordinary conditions,-however,.no such ases will be evolved, sincedecomposition is prevented and the remains are thoroughly desiccated.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have produceda method orprocess whereby a dry, sterilizing atmosphere will be maintained .withina crypt or compartment, and fora length oftime suflicient to completelydry or: desiccate the remains without the production and discharge ofliquids {of decomposition, and without the escape of noxious gases. Itwill also be evident *that, -by our process, decomposition is normallyprevented and that, in

any eventfsuch decomposition will be rereduced to a minimum. It willalso. be. evident that the foregomg process is entirely 'automatic inoperation and that the agents er. tering into such process are containedwithin each crypt or compartment. Furthermore, these results areobtained with out the use of an extraneous agent and at a comparativelyslight expense.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. The "rocess ofpreserving remains which consists in inclosing the same within areceptacle which is sealed against the entrance of the externalatmosphere, charging a receptacle which is sealed against the entranceof theexternal atmosphere, charging from a pointwithinthe receptacle theatmosphere therein with a germicidal a cut, automatically removing themoisture om the atmosphere within such receptacle, the

charging of the atmosphere with the germicidal agent and the removalof'the moisture therefrom conti'nuing' throughout the period requiredfor the complete desiccation of the remains, and allowing the gaseouscontents of the receptacle to escape 'from time to time should thepressure becomeexcessive.

3. The process of "preserving remains which consists in inclosmg thesame within a receptacle which-is sealed against the entrance ofexternal gases, placing .within said receptacle a germicidal liberatorwhereby the atmosphere within the receptacle willbe charged with suchgas, and automatically removing the. moisture from, the atmoS- pherewithinsuch receptacle, the charging of the atmosphere with thegermicidalgas and the removal of the moisture therefrom continuing throughouttheperiod required for complete desiccation of thejremains.

4. The process of preserving remains which consists in inclosing thesame within a receptacle which is sealed againstthe entrance of theexternal atmosphere, producing from a point within the receptacle agermicidal gas whereby the ,atmosphere within the receptacle issaturated with such gas, and removing,.through a drying agent placedwithin the receptacle, the'moisture from such atmosphere, the chargingof the atmosphere with the germicidal gas and the removal of themoisture therefrom continuing throughout the period required forcomplete desiccation of the remains. 5. The rocess of preserving remainswhich consists in inclosing the same within a receptacle which is sealedagainst the entrance of the external atmosphere, discharging agermicidal agent from a cartridge placed within the receptacle, wherebythe atmosphere is charged with such germicidal ,agent, and drying theatmosphere within the receptacle by a drying agent contained therein,the charging ofthe atmosphere with the germicidal gas and the removal ofthe moisture therefrom continuing throughout the period required forcomplete desiccation of the remains. p

6. The process of preserving remains which consists in inclosing thesame in a receptacle which is sealed a ainst the entrance of theexternal atmosp ere, charging the atmosphere in said reoe tacle withgaseous formaldehyde libera within the receptacle, and subjecting theatmosphere-to the drying action of calcium oxid within thereceptacle,the gaseous formaldehyde being gradually discharged into theatmosphere throughout a prolonged period of time suflicient fordesiccation and the calcium oxid being present in suflicient quantity tocomplete the desiccation of the remains.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto affix 15 our signatures in thepresence of two wit- BRENNAN B. Wns'r.

